concession

American  

[kuhn-sesh-uhn] / kənˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

concessions plural

1. the act of conceding or yielding, as a right, a privilege, or a point or fact in an argument.

   He made no concession to caution.

2. the thing or point yielded.

   Management offered a shorter workweek as a concession.

3. something conceded by a government or a controlling authority, as a grant of land, a privilege, or a franchise.

4. a space or privilege within certain premises for a subsidiary business or service.

   the refreshment concession at a movie theater.

5. Canadian. any of the usually sixteen divisions of a township, each division being 10 sq. mi. (26 sq. km) in area and containing thirty-two 200-acre lots.

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concession British  

/ kənˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of yielding or conceding, as to a demand or argument

2. something conceded

3. a reduction in the usual price of a ticket granted to a special group of customers

   a student concession

4. any grant of rights, land, or property by a government, local authority, corporation, or individual

5. the right, esp an exclusive right, to market a particular product in a given area

6. 1. the right to maintain a subsidiary business on a lessor's premises

   2. the premises so granted or the business so maintained

   3. a free rental period for such premises

7. 1. a land subdivision in a township survey

   2. another name for concession road

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonconcession
  noun
• preconcession
  noun
• subconcession
  noun
• concessible
  adjective
• concessional
  adjective
• proconcession
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• concessions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of concession

First recorded in 1605–15; 1910–15 concession for def. 4; from Latin concēssiōn- (stem of concēssiō ), equivalent to concēss(us) (past participle of concēdere ”to concede ”) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

The noun concession comes in handy in negotiations — between countries, political parties, or even parents and their kids. Want a raise in your allowance? You may have to agree to do more chores as a concession before your parents will agree. Although a concession in an argument is the act of yielding or granting something, don't get confused and think that a concession stand is called that because the workers are granting you popcorn at the baseball stadium. Concessions at a ballpark or at another venue are called that because the stadium has granted the right to sell food to a certain provider. Chew on that the next time you're munching on peanuts at a game.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

concession concessions

The major concession comes as Paramount was facing an Aug. 3 hearing to try to convince U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Brito described the letter as a "concession" and "admission" by the BBC.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

The agreement comes as Panama complains its boats are suffering tighter controls in China, following the cancellation of a Hong Kong company's concession to operate two ports in the Panama Canal.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

“You won’t have the same quality and variety at concession stands.”

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Like all policemen in the British concession, he was a bushy-bearded Indian with a red turban wrapped around his head.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

The government also agreed not to prosecute protesters detained during the unrest, among other concessions.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Whether those concessions will be enough to get the two power conferences on board remains to be seen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Tighter enforcement could redirect ore produced within the tin-metal producer’s concessions away from illegal collectors and competing smelters and back into the company’s formal supply chain, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

The concessions come as Paramount Skydance already was facing the prospect of a lengthy moratorium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

In his correspondence with the boatbuilder, he threatened to buy his equipment from an English supplier, demanded price concessions, and insisted on design modifications if he were to buy.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• acknowledgment
• admission
• compromise
• deal
• grant
• permit
• privilege